Official website of the President of Russia

Transcripts   /

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

Allow me to make a brief statement on behalf of my colleagues and then we would be glad to answer your questions.

This session of the Collective Security Council is planned for the 10th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty. That is of course a milestone in the history of our cooperation. Over the years a solid legal framework has been formed for cooperation, the algorithms of collective making and implementation of decisions have been worked out and the mechanisms of military and military-technical cooperation have been put in place.

Now that our countries are facing serious threats the treaty is proving its usefulness and effectiveness in ensuring collective security. Obviously, the current development of the world situation requires serious work to adapt the treaty mechanisms to modern conditions. And we share the common view that the best way to develop our cooperation is to transform the treaty into an international regional organisation. We have charged the Secretariat and the colleagues who will be brought in from the treaty member countries with the task of preparing proposals on that score. We are talking about a qualitative functional adjustment of the work of the relevant mechanisms of the treaty while preserving and developing as much of the accumulated potential as possible. Let me stress, it should be done without creating unnecessary bureaucratic structures.

We have also discussed ways to deepen military and military-technical cooperation. Additional measures are envisaged to implement the agreement on the basic principles of military-technical cooperation. We will also develop interaction in such areas as developments, production and modernisation of military products and the training of military personnel. I must note that all the heads of state have agreed that it is the most important, promising and urgent area of activities. A decision has been taken on interaction in the sphere of military control.

We have reviewed the activities of the collective Rapid Deployment Force. Another joint exercise under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty and the Anti-Terrorist Centre is scheduled to be held in June in Kyrgyzstan. Some of these exercises will be held in Kazakhstan. That will provide an opportunity for testing once again the preparedness and the level of training of the Rapid Deployment Force, to practice the methods of the joint struggle against terrorism, including with the participation of some other Commonwealth countries.

In conclusion I would like to stress that Russia, which will chair the Collective Security Council and its bodies beginning from this session, will do all it can to contribute to the implementation of the decisions taken today.

Question: You are an active supporter of the integration of CIS countries in various spheres, especially in the sphere of energy resources. For example, the idea of creating a gas alliance was promoted in Almaty on March 1, and besides you and Nursultan Nazarbayev yesterday signed an agreement on the division of the northern Caspian seabed. However, these resources are not only shared by the countries but provoke sharp competition and give rise to terrorist threats. What is the role of the Collective Security Treaty in the region?

Vladimir Putin: The Collective Security Treaty Organisation has not been created and it does not exist for the protection of the energy interests of its member countries. It has broader tasks. In fulfilling its proper function, the CSTO must create favourable conditions for cooperation, a stable situation in the region, and it must help the member countries solve the problems among them in the spirit of partnership and with due account of each other’s interests. Besides, the CSTO must create conditions that enable all of us to cooperate with other countries, including in the energy sphere.

I think that yesterday saw a major event in the bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, which is indeed a serious international event considering the vast resources of the fields that are regulated by the documents signed by the two countries. They are all elements of a common policy in the energy and security fields. And the CSTO undoubtedly plays a very positive role in creating favourable conditions for cooperation.

Question: Is there a mechanism of interaction between the three blocs that counteract the threats: the Shanghai Organisation, the CSTO and the anti-terrorist coalition?

Vladimir Putin: After the disintegration of the USSR and the disintegration of the so-called Eastern bloc that ended the confrontation between the two blocs in the world, the situation changed in a fundamental way. Failure to recognise the new situation in the world entails dire consequences, such as September 11 of last year. All this means that we must create new security structures in the world and new mechanisms of cooperation. What is happening here in Moscow today – the strengthening of cooperation among the states which have signed the Collective Security Treaty (i.e. the attainment of a new level of cooperation) – is an element in creating new world security systems. Answering a question from one of your colleagues, the Belarusian President stressed that the CSTO is ready to cooperate with other organisations of this kind. Today, during the restricted discussion we said that military-political and political issues will increasingly be a feature on our organisation’s agenda. It means that we are open to and ready for cooperation with our partners in other similar organisations. And it means that the CSTO can be an element in creating new security systems in the world, probably in contact with NATO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, that is, similar organisations both in the East and in the West.

Question: The CSTO member states are making a tangible contribution to the activities of the international anti-terrorist coalition. Of late the US has increasingly suggested a possible shift of the anti-terrorist struggle to other regions, including those in the immediate proximity of the CSTO zone. Does the meeting have a collective position on the issue?

Vladimir Putin: As for the possible spread of the actions of the anti-terrorist coalition to other countries and regions, we are of the same opinion. We believe first, that the international anti-terrorist coalition merits support on the part of the CSTO countries. Secondly, all the actions aimed at preventing terrorist activities must be agreed upon. And the leading organisation for agreeing upon the actions must be the UN and the UN Security Council. We should all discuss these topics and make decisions in a routine manner in accordance with the statutory documents of the UN. I would like to stress and note (and that partly answers the previous question) that the countries which have signed the Collective Security Treaty are now creating the Collective Security Treaty Organisation; their cooperation and friendship with one another are not directed against anyone, but against the threats which we may face.

Question: During the past 10 years some countries have become disenchanted with and have withdrawn from the CST, whereas your countries are increasing their cooperation. What can you say about it?

Vladimir Putin: We are pleased with the way the situation is developing.

In conclusion I would like to thank all my colleagues, those who took time to come to Moscow, for their active joint work and for the results achieved.

And I thank the press for its attention.